Lake Hopatcong's original sea creature

ON LAKE HOPATCONG – Before the boa constrictor slithered its way into the zeitgeist, Lake Hopatcong had another legendary inhabitant, a sea creature whose initial sighting dates back to the late 1800's.

Described as having the head of a dog and the body of a 40-foot serpent, Lake Hopatcong's legendary sea monster "Hoppie" is New Jersey's Nessie and would likely scoff at the idea of a 12-foot snake taking its place in local lore.

Hoppie – whose name is taken from "Hopatcong" - was documented in the New York World newspaper according to an article obtained from an Aug. 4, 1894 issue of the Lake Hopatcong Angler.

The article titled "Lake Hopatcong's Sea Serpent" described the creature as having the head of a St. Bernard dog and the body of a snake, and said it was spotted near the inlet to River Styx by many residents.

"Several shots have been fired at it," read the article. "One man asserts that he hit the head of the supposed serpent with a ball form his 38 calibre rifle and the bullet rolled off like water off a duck's back without even making the monster wink."

A man name "A. Chamerlain" claimed the monster rose out of the water near his boat. He said that "if it was one inch in length it was 40 feet and as thick as a man's leg." The top of the creature was black while the lower parts were a "dirty white."

The article speculated Hoppie might have been an old mud turtle said to inhabit the lake that was "as big as molasses hogshead and its head is like a lager beer keg."

Even back then, like now with the boa constrictor, people speculated that the size and description of Hoppie may have been exaggerated, and wondered if the creature could survive in New Jersey's climate.

"There is a desperate imagination connected with this bit of history, and it is hard to determine whether it was a dog, turtle, or beer keg," read the article. "Whoever experienced this phenomena must have had too much 'bait' aboard; still we cannot see how a man could get the 'snakes' in this climate either."

Hoppie has been discussed for more than a century since, most recently in Weird NJ magazines and the book "Monsters of New Jersey" written by Loren Coleman and Bruce G. Hallenbeck.

Hoppie is more "creature" than "monster" as he is considered a friendly resident of the lake. The community-run website LandingNewJersey.com which focuses on news in one of the four municipalities that touches Lake Hopatcong describes Hoppie as a member of their population.

"Landing has a population of approx 7,300 people, several dozen white-tailed deer, a few bears, and one elusive water creature named "Hoppie", who lives in the depths of Lake Hopatcong and can occasionally be seen swimming on the surface of the Lake," read the post. "Please don't think of him as a sea monster, he is generally considered to be quite friendly!"

Marty Kane, president of the Lake Hopatcong Historical Museum, said the attention the rumored boa constrictor is attracting is similar to how Hoppie's legend began.

"This is how Hoppie got started, it's very reminiscent," Kane said. "Someone saw something and then publicity just takes over. People read about it in the paper and it takes off from there; 120 years later the more things have changed, the more they don't."

Kane said stories and sightings of Hoppie continually pop up through the years, but never any evidence or photos.

"There is always a thought alcohol was involved," Kane said.

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Kane said Lake Hopatcong is home to eels, very large fish, mink, and other animals people might mistake for something else, which may have been the case with both Hoppie and the boa constrictor.

"Who knows what someone might have seen," Kane said. "Some people are scared when they see an eel, but they're a natural species in the lake."

Kane doesn't believe there is a boa in the lake.

"It's not to say it's not possible, but it's unlikely someone got rid of a boa in the lake and it survived. Who is to say really," Kane said, citing how the boa's legend is already being exaggerated. "The boa grows in size from story to story. And there are no photos in an era when everyone always takes pictures."

On the cruises he narrates for Lake Hopatcong Cruises, Kane said the boa was a regular topic of discussion this past week.

"The lake seems quieter than usual," said Miss Lotta Capt. Tom Costigan. "It might be the storms, it might be the snake."

Costigan said he didn't know much about Hoppie aside from one legend, of which Don Gardner from Mount Arlington helped fill in the details.

Gardner said parents told their kids a story about Hoppie that was based in Lake Hopatcong fishing folklore, claiming it was a mystical lake serpent that ate fishermen and boaters before it was caught and killed.

Gardner said the legend states the serpent's bones washed ashore and were used as the frame for the Wildcat roller coaster on the lake's former Bertrand's Island amusement park.

Thursday though, as the Miss Lotta navigated through Capp Cove and other nearby areas the snake had been reported, neither Hoppie nor the boa were spotted.

Despite the rumors of a slithery new inhabitant, it was not a lake in fear. While Capp Cove itself was relatively quiet, boats passed through the area, and a small crowd was enjoying Capp Cove Beach.

On the Miss Lotta, the crowd of about 20 weren't at all concerned about potentially sharing the water with the boa.

"I heard it's 26 feet long," said passenger Karen Toto of Morristown. "I'm ready to take a shot at it if I see it."

Passenger Inger Hanright of Budd Lake was content to let the boa enjoy the lake for as long as it likes.

"Every lake needs a monster right?" Hanright said.

After little more than a week from the first reports, the boa's legend is already growing. The @HopatcongBoa Twitter handle had more than 400 followers as of Friday afternoon, and updates on the Byram Cove Party Facebook page about the snake are widely shared.

Reptile expert Bill Boesenberg said Monday the attention surrounding the snake was making "a mountain out of a molehill." He said if there is a boa constrictor in the lake, it would not attack unless picked up and would die once temperatures reach the low 60's.

Have stories of your own about Hoppie or the boa? Let us know!

Staff writer Michael Izzo: 973-428-6636; mizzo@dailyrecord.com

REWARD:

The Daily Record will pay $250 to the first person who can provide us with a photo or video of the boa constrictor said to be living in Lake Hopatcong. Contact Joe Ungaro at 973-428-6624 or at jungaro@njpressmedia.com.